Matthew Saunders is Hon Director of The Friends of Friendless Churches and Secretary of the kindred charity, the Ancient Monuments Society, having occupied those posts from 1993 and 1977 respectively. He is a former Secretary of the Joint Committee of the National Amenity Societies and will be a trustee of the Heritage Lottery Fund until the Nolan Rules oblige him to stand down in 2011. He has written and lectured extensively on historic buildings and was awarded the MBE for services to Architectural Conservation in 1998.